Stuffing-box.



J. W WALTERS. s'rurrma 1301:. APPLICATION FILED HAY 14.1909

Patented Jan. 12. 1909.

J JIMI JULIUS WM. WALTERS, OF GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK.

STUFFING-B OK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed May 14, 1908. Serial No. $32,895.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JuLrUs W. WAL'rnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glens Falls, in the county of \Varren and State of '..New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stuffing-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in stuffing boxes especially designed for use in connection with marine propeller shafts, and the prime object of the invention is to provide a stuffing box that may be quickly and easily adjusted into accurate and frictionless alinement with the propeller shaft.

It is common in the art to provide a housing consisting of a flange from which extends a sleeve and. through which the propeller shaft passes, a suitable gland or packing being. provided between the sleeve and shaft to prevent the leakage of water past the rotating shaft. 'Stufling boxes of this type require a great deal of accurate adjustment upon the shaftlog to which they are attached, in. order to bring them into accurate and frictionless alinementwith the propeller shaf t. This accurate adjustment and alinement of the stuffing-box with the shaft is seldom obtained, consequently, in new boats, the stuff ing-box will bind upon the shaft more or less and not only cause undue Wearing of the parts, but materially increase the work of the motor and consequently reduce the speed of the vessel.

The prime object of the present invention is therefore, to overcome the above recited ob ections incident to the old forms of stuffing-boxes, and this I accomplish by providing a novel and simple construction of stuffing-box wherein is employed a housing hav ing a spherical seat in Whichis adjustahly mounted a sphere preferably provided with an integral outstanding sleeve through which the propeller shaft passes, a suitable packing being provided between the sleeve and shaft, andla further packing being interposed between the sphere and its seat.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my said invention I will now proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is 8. Ion itudinal sectional view of one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view of a further embodiment; and

l cured to the boat.

Fig. 3 is a similar View of a still further embodiment of the ii'lvention.

lieferring to the drawing Fig. l, the reference numeral 1 designates the keel of a boat to which is at taehed a housing 2 consisting of a metal casting provided with a flange 3, having apertures through which bolts 4 or any other suitable form of fastening n'leans may pass, whereby the casting can he se- The casting is provided with an enlarged diagonally arranged through passage 5, and at its forward end with a spherical seat fl, and an adjacent annular c iamher Seated upon the spherical seat 6 is a hollow ball or sphere 8 preferably provided with an integral oil-standing sleeve 9, which sleeve is shown as threaded throughout substantially its entire length. Mounted upon the end of the sleeve 9 is a packing gland or cap 10 and interposed between the end of the sleeve and the said cap is a suitable packing 12. A jam-nut 13 is threaded upon the sleeve 9 and serves to prevent displace ment of the cap 10 due to rotation of the pro peller shalt 14, which, as shown, extends through the cap, the sleeve and the housing. The packing 12 effectually prevents the passage of n al r up through the hall or sphere 8 and the sleeve into the boat.

A clamping: ring or annulus 15 is secured by means of bolts 16 to the forward end of tile housing 2 and has an annular projection 17 extending within the chamber 7, the inner wall 1S of the annulus being faced, as shown, to make a fairly close joint between it and the sphere or ball 8. A suitable packing 19 is interposed between the projection 17 and the. outer face of the ball or sphere 8 and serves to make a water-tight joint between these parts.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that by loosening the bolts 16 which hold the an nulus 15, the ball or sphere may be readily adj usied tovarious positions, which will permit the propeller shaft 14 that passes through the sphere, to find its proper alinement Without danger of binding. Obviously no adjustment of the casting or housing is necessary to bring the same into proper alinement with the propeller shaft and this is an important feature of the present invention. When the ball and its integral offstanding sleeve has been brought into accurate alinement with the propeller shaft these parts are then firmly clamped into position lit) . compressing the last-named acking.

, prising a housing adapted to be attached to and held against further movement by means of the annulus 15 and its bolts 16.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2, the cbnstruction of all parts of the device, except the housing or casting, is the same as the form illustrated in Fig. 1. The housing or casting illustrated in Fig. 2, is designed to take the place of the present old style stufling-box usually at tached to the shaft log. lhe housing consists of a metal block 20, having an attaching flange 21, rovided with openings 22, for the fastening olts. The housin is provided with a spherical seat 23, for t e ball 8. the latter having the outstanding integral. sleeve 9, carrying the cap or gland ,10, aching 12, and jam-nut 13, as in the form of evice illustrated in Fig: 1. The ball is clamped to its seat b the ring or annulus 15, through which latter the fastening bolts 16 pass and there is the packing 19, interposed between the ball, the housin and the annulus as in the form first descri ed.

In the forms of the invention illustrated in s. 1 and 2, I have shown the ball 8, as pro vided with an integral out-standing sleeve 9, but I do nbt wish to be limited to such construction as it will be obvious that I may discuss with the sleeve an arrange the packmg 12, for the propelle: shaft in an annular cavity formed in the ball 8, as clearly shown in F i 3. In this arrangement the )aflkll'l" ma he held in place by means ofa threaded ,bus ing or thimble l0, screwed into the ball and against the packing.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise details of construction herein shown and described, except as I may be limited by the terms of the ap ended claims, for I am aware that minor 0 ianges may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is: p

1. A stuffing-boxfor propeller shafts of boats, comprising a housing ical seat and an intersecting through passage, a hollow sphere seated on said seat and provided'with an integral out-standin sleeve, through which sphere and sleeve t e propeller shaft passes, a gland at the end of said sleeve, a packing inter osed between the sleeve and land, a ac ing interposed between the sp ere and ousing, and means for 2- A stufii'ng-box for prope ler shafts, coma boat, a sleeve having a ball and socket connection with said housing and through which the propeller shaft is adapted to pass, a gland iaving a spherscrewed upon the end of the sleeve, a acking interposet between the gland and s eeve, a j uni-nut on the sleeve, adapted to engage the gland, a clamping rin secured to the housing and surrounding the all, and a making inter(posed between the said ring, the housing an the ball.

3. A stuffing-box for propeller shafts, com prising a housing adapted to be attached to a boat, a sleeve having a ball formed integral therewith and seated in a concave seat formed in the housing, a packin gland carried by the sleeve, means for cFamping the ball to its seat, and a packing interposed between the ball and hotsing.

4. A stuilingboig for pro ellcr shafts on boats, comprising a housing aving a spherical seat, an intersecting throi. h assage, a ball seated on said seat, said al also provided with an intersecting passage, throi gh which the propeller shaft passes a means to prevent leakage around said ball b interposing packing between the ball and ousing, and means for compressing this packing.

5. A stufiing-box for propeller shafts comprising a housing having an inte ral flange to e attached to a boat, a ball an socket contained in said housing throi'gh which the ropeller shaft passes, a packing for the s aft carried by said ball,,and means for clamping sgidf packing to prevent leakage past the s a t.

6. A stuffing box for propeller shafts comrising a flanged housing to be attached to a lioat, a ball socketed within said housing throi' 'h which the propeller shaft passes provided with dpacking around the ball an packing aroun the shaft, the housin so arranged that said ball and shaft are su ject to angtlar changes of alinement within the housing to suit various shaft angles.

7. A stufling box for propeller shafts comrising a flanged housing to be attached to a lioat, a ball socketed within said hous' having the propeller shaft assing throng said ball, packing around sai ball and shaft to preventjleaka e, the housing so arranged that said ball an shaft are subjected to angular changes within the housing to suit different shaft angles, thus providing means automatically for'obtainii'i true shaft alinement at any angle require In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JULIUS WM. WALTERS.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK A. CoNLiN, Roar. B. Lmsme. 

